Dallas' "Rule of 11" has become the "Rule of 13." The back of the forfeiture notice changed in July 2026, and now there are two new boxes to fill in: the DA's email address and the school board attorney's (SBA's) email address. Here is a quick recap of how the set-aside motion should be completed. Call or text Lyne at (919) 612-1260 with any questions.
Filing in eCourts
IMPORTANT: Your forfeiture set-aside's filing code should be MOTION, not "Bond." There are videos and directions out there that say to file it as a Bond. That is incorrect. Think about it: you are filing a motion, not writing a bond. The filing-code list has both, and "Bond" is for filing a bond instrument.
In addition, your proof is filed separately within the same case, with a filing code of SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENTATION. That is how the AOC and Tyler Technologies File & Serve trainers told us bondsmen should do it (Durham County attorney training, 2023), and it matches the AOC's written guidance of one filing code per document (Additional Information for File & Serve Users, Sept. 2025, p. 10, item 5). Filed that way, the proof shows up as its own entry that the DA and the school board attorney can see without opening the motion.
The Rule of 13
The thirteen, in order
Make sure you've written in 13 places in the 7/26 revision of the forfeiture, every time.
- Check only one box.Nine reasons are listed. If more than one applies, pick the one that gets you off the bond, not just off the forfeiture. (Boxes 2, 3, 4 and 5 get you completely off the bond.) A motion with two boxes checked will draw an objection.
- Your name and address."Name and Address of Moving Party." This is you. You are the moving party, filing on behalf of the surety company. Fill it in every time; it is not optional. Check "New Address" only if your address is new and the AOC has not updated it yet.
- Date.The day you are signing the motion.
- Your signature.You can complete the whole set-aside on your computer without printing, signing and scanning. If you fill it in on screen, type your signature:
/s/and your name. Example:/s/ Lyne Thompson - Moving party: check Surety.Both surety bondsmen and professional bondsmen check Surety. If you're a surety bondsman, you check it because you are moving for the insurance company; a professional bondsman checks it because he or she is the surety.
- Surety company.The name of the insurance company on the bond, written on the line next to Surety. A professional bondsman writes his own name here.
- Signed by.Check Bail Agent if you are a surety bondsman. Professional bondsmen check Self.
- Certificate of service.If you are using eCourts, check the eFile & Serve box: "Sending a copy by email from ICMS/File & Serve to an email address of record with the court for each person." The motion must be served on the district attorney and on the county board of education's attorney, and if you are eFiling, this is how.
- The DA's email address.The email of record for the district attorney in that county. To find it, google the district attorney of that county (for example, "DA for Wake County NC"), then look the person up in the NC State Bar membership directory, click on their name, and you should see their email address along with their other contact info.
- The school board attorney's email address.The school board attorney's name is listed on the front of your forfeiture notice. (eCourts shows the name too, under Party Information, School Board, but not the email.) Their email of record can be found in the same State Bar directory.
If you can't find someone's email, text Lyne at (919) 612-1260. We don't keep a public list because SBAs and DAs change often, and we don't want to give you outdated information. - Date of service.The date you served the DA and the school board attorney.
- Your name again."Name of Moving Party," typed or printed, under the certificate of service.
- Your signature again.This time you are signing the certificate of service. If you are typing your signature, type
/s/and your name.
Before you file
Watch out
- 150 days. The motion must be filed before the final judgment date printed on the front of the notice, which is 150 days after the date notice was given. There is no grace period. Box 8 has its own deadline: Box 8 is for a notice mailed more than 30 days after the failure-to-appear date, and a Box 8 motion must be filed within 30 days of the "Date Notice Given."
- Attach your proof. Every reason on the form says "as evidenced by" something: a certified copy of the disposition, the surrender form, the served order for arrest, the incarceration record. No attachment. No set-aside granted. And probably 50% sanctions.
- Send both sides of the forfeiture when you serve it. The form says so at the top. The DA and the school board attorney get the whole thing: the front, and the completed back.
- You get one motion. Only one motion to set aside may be filed for a forfeiture, so do it right the first time: right box, right proof, both attorneys served.
- Leave the objection section alone. The blue-bracketed part is where the school board attorney or the DA objects, if they are going to. They have 20 days after you serve them, and then 30 days from their objection to schedule and hold the hearing.
Questions? Stuck on something?
Call or text Lyne at (919) 612-1260.
This is a guide from a state-certified bail bond instructor, not legal advice. Read the current form and G.S. 15A-544.5 yourself, and talk to an attorney to confirm or verify anything atypical.